He left the magazine after four years, but as Rick Meyerowitz wrote, in his 2010 book Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead, "[McConnachie's Lampoon work] is well loved, here on earth and on his home planet."

[2] After leaving SCTV, McConnachie launched The American Bystander, a magazine he variously described as "a hip New Yorker" or "National Lampoon for grown-ups."

Though the Bystander had contributions from many of McConnachie's friends from the Lampoon and was initially backed by Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Lorne Michaels and others, it was unable to secure financing for print distribution beyond its "pilot issue."

In 2015, McConnachie partnered with Michael Gerber and Alan Goldberg to relaunch the magazine;[2] the sole issue from 1982 was reprinted in full in Bystander #25 (May 2023).

As an actor, McConnachie appeared in seven films directed by Woody Allen: Husbands and Wives, Bullets Over Broadway, Don't Drink the Water, Deconstructing Harry, Celebrity, Small Time Crooks, and The Curse of the Jade Scorpion.